Applying for VA Benefits

• Contact the U.S. Department of Veterans*: We encourage all military-affiliated students to please contact the United States Department of Veteran Affairs Education Office at 1-888-442-4551 for information pertaining to your eligibility for VA benefits.
• Apply for Your VA Benefits: If eligible, apply online at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/. *Please allow up to four to six weeks for processing.
  • For Chapter 30, 33, 35, 1606 & 1607 Recipients: Please print out your Certificate of Eligibility or Eligibility Information from the VA website within four to six weeks, after it has been processed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Please send this document togibill@tcl.edu.
  • For Chapter 31: Veterans’ Readiness and Employment Program® (formerly VA Voc Rehab) Recipients: Within four to six weeks, you will be assigned to a VA Educational & Career Counselor who will send the approved Vocational Rehabilitation Authorization Form (VA 28-1905) via Tungsten to TCL for certification purposes. *Certification is contingent based on your approval dates, as your Counselor may need to submit an updated VA Form 28-1905 to the Certifying Official.
• Transferring of Ch. 33: Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® Benefits (for Spouses and Dependents): Service Members have the option to transfer their Post 9/11 benefits to their spouse and/or dependents prior to being discharged from active- duty military service via https://www.va.gov/education/transfer-post-9-11-gi-bill-benefits/. For assistance, call VA at 1-888-442-4551.
  • After the transfer has been approved, dependents can apply online for the Post 9/11 benefits at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/. *Please allow up to four to six weeks for processing.
  • Within four to six weeks, VA will send you a Certificate of Eligibility in the mail. Don’t forget to send that document to gibill@tcl.edu.

• TCL Self Service: Log in to your TCL Self Service Account. This portal will help you view your TCL Program Evaluation, pay for classes, view course grades, and register for classes. More information on how to access your TCL Self Service account can be found on https://www.tcl.edu/academics/registration/self-service.
• Academic Advisement: Schedule an appointment to meet with the Military & Veterans Navigator and/or Academic Advisor to help you register for classes through TCL Self Service.
• Veterans Certification Form: All G.I. Bill® recipients must complete the Fillable Veterans Certification Form (every semester that you desire to use your benefits) and submit this document along with your class schedule to the VA Certifying Official via email to gibill@tcl.edu or visit our VA staff inside Building 2: Coleman Hall) and the Veterans Resource Center (Building 12: MacLean Hall – Room 107).

Transient refers to any students taking courses that apply to his or her degree at more than one school. An institution that will grant the degree is the student’s “parent” school and all other schools are “secondary” or “guest.” Our VA Office at TCL can only certify transient students when we receive permission from both your home school’s Student Records and VA Offices. We ask that all VA-eligible students in this category complete the following steps for our office to process your VA information.

• Obtain Permission: You will need to consult with your Parent School’s Academic Advisor to obtain permission to take courses here at TCL. He or she will provide you with a Transient Form to be submitted to our Office of Student Records.
• Apply to TCL Online: Complete our admissions application online at https://www.tcl.edu/admissions/apply/ as a “Transient” Student. Please also indicate your military affiliation on the application. You will be sent a follow-up regarding the next steps, including how to set-up your TCL Student Email account.
• Course Registration: Our Office of Student Records will need a copy of the transient form, to register you for classes, which you can reach them at srecords@tcl.edu.
• Submit the VA Parent Letter and Certificate of Eligibility: Please consult with your Parent School’s Certifying Official and ask them to submit a VA Parent Letter and your Certificate of Eligibility to our VA Office via gibill@tcl.edu. These documents will authorize or permit our office to certify you for your VA benefits.
• VA Certification Form: If you do register for classes, please complete the attached Fillable Veterans Certification Form, and submit back to our office via gibill@tcl.edu or inside Building 2: Coleman Hall.

• Take Care of Your Financial Matters: VA will only send tuition and fee payments directly to the school on behalf of Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 recipients. If you have a remaining balance on your account, you can make payments online on your Self-Service account or inside the Cashier’s Office inside Building 3. They accept cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.
  • Chapter 30, 35, 1606, and 1607 Recipients: You will still be responsible for making payments unless you are using financial aid and other sources to help cover the costs of your tuition and fees. VA will send a monthly stipend to eligible students based on your class enrollment and applicable VA Chapter. Monthly VA payments are subject to change each year, starting October 1st. Therefore, we encourage you to view the VA Rate Tables for your applicable VA Education Benefit Chapter online at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/resources/benefits_resources/rate_tables.asp.
  • Chapter 31 – Veteran Readiness & Employment Program® Recipients: Your VA Educational & Career Counselor will complete and submit a voucher to the college to pay the costs of your books and supplies. Please make sure that you maintain contact with them to ensure that your information is processed and transmitted to the Cashier’s Office.
  • Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® Recipients: Please be mindful of the number of months and percentage rating that you are entitled to receiving VA benefits as you may still owe a balance after VA sends payments to our institution. VA also does not cover any digital book costs that are also posted on your billing statement and the costs of physical hard copy textbooks and supplies, as you will also be receiving a separate books & supplies allowance from VA. We encourage you to analyze your per semester bill to view your charges. Both the book allowance and housing stipend is based on your semester enrollment. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, students receive a yearly book and supplies stipend of up to $1,000.00 paid proportionately based on enrollment. VA also determines your housing allowance based on E-5 with dependents OHA Rate for our school location.
• Student Refund: Expecting a refund, sign-up for your refund to be direct deposited into your bank account via https://www.tcl.edu/financial-aid-tuition/tuition-fees/disbursement-checks/. Questions, please contact the Cashier’s Office at 843-525-8355 or businessoffice@tcl.edu.

• Add/Drop Policy: As a VA recipient, all students must report any changes (drop or add classes) to your class schedule to the School Certifying Official at gibill@tcl.edu for accuracy and prompt reporting.

• Possible Mitigating Circumstances: Students who withdraw from classes may owe a balance to both the college and/or VA unless you have VA-approved mitigating (or unfortunate) circumstances that affected your course(s) progress. Primary examples of such circumstances, include the following:
  • An illness or injury afflicting the student during the enrollment period.
  • An illness or death in the student’s immediate family.
  • An unavoidable change in the student’s conditions of employment.
  • An unavoidable geographical transfer resulting from the student’s employment.
  • Immediate family or financial obligations beyond the control of the claimant that require him or her to suspend pursuit of the program of education to obtain employment.
  • Discontinuance of the course by the school.
  • Unanticipated active military service, including active duty for training.
  • Unanticipated difficulties with childcare arrangements the student have made for the period during which he or she is attending classes.
  • COVID-19 restraints
• No Mitigating Circumstances: If you do not have mitigating circumstances, please read below for more information on how withdrawals may affect you.
  • Withdrawals During TCL’s Drop/Add Period: If you withdraw during the school’s drop/add period (generally the first 30 days of a term), and dropping a class changes your training time, the VA will reduce your training time and make the pay adjustment effective on the date of your withdrawal. This may or may not result in an overpayment.
  • Withdrawals After TCL’s Drop/Add Period: If you withdraw after the school’s drop/add period the VA will reduce your training time on the beginning date of the term. This will usually result in an overpayment which can be quite large.
  • VA Six Credit Hour Exclusion: Your first withdrawal (up to six credit hours) is excused. The VA will adjust your training time on the date of withdrawal, not all the way back to the start of the term. This can only be used once, and you can’t combine two 3-hour withdrawals to game the system. If you drop 3 hours and get the exclusion it is gone forever.

• Satisfactory Progress: All G.I. Bill® recipients must strive to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by both TCL and VA guidelines. Under VA regulations, the School Certifying Official is required to inform VA about any students who end up being placed on Academic Suspension at the end of each semester.
• Repeating Coursework: VA will only pay for students to retake courses only one time after failing it the first time. If you experience any difficulty with your classes, please immediately consult with your instructor and strive to seek assistance from our Tutoring Center located inside Building 9 (Beaufort Mather Campus) or the New River Campus.